Houze (Zero Energy homes) being built in Independence Heights (Houston: low income, 2014)

[vegankris]

Does anyone have any information on this? It sounds really good, but I'm unfamiliar with the neighborhood and the builder/developer.

Houze - Home

[Vicman]

Independene Heights is one of the oldest Black neighborhoods. It was its own municipality for a period.

[Schumacher713]

How is the house zero energy if it uses natural gas? Who is paying for your natural gas bill for a decade? I don't understand this.

They posted a map where the location is. It is an area that might turn over in 20 years.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/60...515827ce?hl=en

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

How is the house zero energy if it uses natural gas? Who is paying for your natural gas bill for a decade? I don't understand this.

They posted a map where the location is. It is an area that might turn over in 20 years.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/60...515827ce?hl=en

"Zero energy" may not be literal, but figurative?

[TXbywayof]

I did some digging around. This is a partnership between Houze and the City of Houston (um, why?). The information I found showed homes were ranging between 150-250k, and can't remember if that was pricing from 2012 or 2013. Six of the 12 floor plans are 2 bedroom. The information I found on the developed describes him as being somewhere in between a visionary and a snake oil salesman. But, to be fair, his WaterLights project in Pearland fell through during the downturn. The homes are on the grid but that is the last resort after natural gas and a power cell. The link states no energy costs for the first ten years. I would guess than that if energy costs do indeed accrue, that it would be split between the developer and taxpayer, er, city of Houston? I don't know.

[vegankris]

Originally Posted by TXbywayof

I did some digging around. This is a partnership between Houze and the City of Houston (um, why?). The information I found showed homes were ranging between 150-250k, and can't remember if that was pricing from 2012 or 2013. Six of the 12 floor plans are 2 bedroom. The information I found on the developed describes him as being somewhere in between a visionary and a snake oil salesman. But, to be fair, his WaterLights project in Pearland fell through during the downturn. The homes are on the grid but that is the last resort after natural gas and a power cell. The link states no energy costs for the first ten years. I would guess than that if energy costs do indeed accrue, that it would be split between the developer and taxpayer, er, city of Houston? I don't know.

Thanks TXbywayof for the response! It sounds interesting...maybe too good to be true though. I'm really curious about what the neighborhood is like that these homes are being built in. I also wonder if they plan to build more of these homes in other parts of houston. I wish I could talk to a homeowner of one of these. That would be really informative.

[TXbywayof]

It sounds reasonable enough. One thing concerns me and that is the Zero Foam they spray in these homes. I always wonder if something like this is groundbreaking or a carcinogen. Also regarding the zero energy costs for 10 years a home warranty is mentioned that covers this. It is not clear from what I read whether the warranty comes with the home or whether it has to be purchased.

Also, there was some mention of Rogers St. So I get on HCAD (I should preface this by saying I am home sick today and feeling like a bucket of yuck, and perhaps some snarkiness is coming though) and look at Rogers St. and sure enough, I see Goswick, David (the Houze developer). The address shows a couple of 0 Rogers St. Interestingly, there was no appraisal increase from 2013 to 2014. Is this just an empty lot? Maybe, I don't know since the address is 0. I bet some of these homes are up, just have to figure out the street. I would love to see what HCAD has done with their appraisals.

[Schumacher713]

From what I can read is there is a fuel cell that is used to convert natty gas to electricity. I remember a thing about how fuel cells are going to revolutionize how we get power. They cost about 30K for a small house. The membrane lasts about 7-8 years. Not sure about the replacement cost. You still have to pay for the natural gas too. It also produces C02 though apparently this is about half of what a power plant would put out. It also has excess heat that can replace a hot water heater. It is all interesting though. I really don't know how much more efficient they are over paying for normal power. But at 30K up front it better be a lot.

[chris_ut]

Originally Posted by vegankris

Thanks TXbywayof for the response! It sounds interesting...maybe too good to be true though. I'm really curious about what the neighborhood is like that these homes are being built in. I also wonder if they plan to build more of these homes in other parts of houston. I wish I could talk to a homeowner of one of these. That would be really informative.

Independence Heights is a majority black, low income neighborhood and has some rough characters. I don't feel uncomfortable driving through there but it's not the sort of neighborhood I would go jogging through in the evening. Many of the houses have bars on their windows.

[TXbywayof]

Here is some info on the foam insulation zero energy homes use:

Does Foam Insulation Belong in Green Buildings? 13 Reasons It Probably Doesn't : TreeHugger